Ornamental reflector



Filed Sept. 28, 1955 INVENTOR FRANK GALLAGER ORNAMENTAL REFLECTOR FrankGallagher, Youngstown, Ohio Application September 28, 1955, Serial No.537,223

1 Claim. (Cl. 240-103) This invention relates to reflectors in generaland more particularly to the type of ornamental reflector used withincandescent lamps to distribute and deflect the light thereon in aneffective and pleasing manner.

It is a major object of the invention to provide a reflector elementconstructed in such a manner that to a person looking at the assembledapparatus it would appear that the entire reflector is a source ofillumination. There have been many previous reflectors advanced forornamental purposes but very little thought has been given to theproblem of controlling the reflection paths of the generated light raysto obtain nearly uniform illumination across the face of the reflector.In many instances a bright reflection or hot spot is present near thebase of the electric light bulb while at the outer periphery of thereflector the light density is very low causing the casual onlooker tobe unable to identify the shape or the outline of the object.

It is a further object of the invention to provide a reflector of thetype wherein the light rays are directed in such a way that theeffective glare is almost entirely eliminated thus providing a much moreeflicient and desirable reflector.

Yet a more particular object of the invention is to provide a reflectorassembly consisting of a shaped reflector, a socket for the incandescentlamp, and a support for attaching it to the desired surface that may beeasily and inexpensively manufactured and assembled but yet is of ruggedand durable construction.

Another object of the invention is to provide an improved reflectorshaped in the form of a star which may be attached to the inside of ahouse window or other suitable places for ornamental purposes. It shouldbe readily understood that this practice is very common at the time ofcertain holidays such as Christmas and New Years when most homes aredecorated with appropriate symbols and ornaments.

These and other objects and advantages of the invention will be morefully apparent upon consideration of the accompanying drawing and thefollowing description wherein is found an illustrated'embodiment of myinvention.

In the drawing:

Figure l is a front plan view of the ornamental reflector assemblyconstructed in accordance with the teachings of my invention;

Figure 2 is a side view of the star shaped reflector and certain otherparts appurtenant thereto;

Figure 3 is an end sectional view taken along the section lines IIIIIIof Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a side view taken along the section line IV-IV of Figure 1.

Referring now to the drawing the numeral designates a star-shapedreflector of the type having a plurality of arms 11 extending withgenerally sloping sides and in the illustrated embodiment the star isfive pointed. The reflector 10 is cupped so that the hub of the arms 11is depressed more than any other portion of the reflecting nited StatesPatent ice surface. The edges of the arms 11 are folded or bent inwardlyto form integral light deflecting guides 12. It is contemplated that thereflector 10 will be constructed from metal sheet or some other materialthat can be easily molded or worked but which will retain the formedshape. If the edges 12 are metal it may be necessary to inturn the sharpedges thereof or file them down to prevent accidental injury to a personmanipulating the reflector. When the sheet metal is formed a pluralityof creases or seams 13 result which in the present invention are used aswill be further explained.

Directly in the center of the reflector 10 is an aperture 1.4 throughwhich a conventional electric socket 15 protrudes to threadably receivethe light bulb 16. The socket 15 is properly insulated from thereflector element as is readily apparent. The socket is held in rigidrelation to the reflector by the flange 17 or any other rigid attachmentmeans that is expedient. Communicating with the socket assembly 15 and asource of electric energy, not shown, is the electrical conductor cord18. It should be understood that switching and other control apparatus,such as blinking, may be provided to permit flexibility of operation asdesired.

Attached to one of the arms 11 at the tip thereof is a resilient member19 to which is secured a vacuum cup 2th by means of the cooperating boltand nut 21, for example. The resilient member 19 is adapted to be flexedand to support the entire reflector assembly when the vacuum cup 20 isattached to the inside of a section of window glass. The hub of thereflector is dished so that when the vacuum cup 20 is fastened to awindow pane or other transparent material the reflector restssubstantially against the pane of glass. In other words the protrudingportion of the electric light bulb 16 does not extend a great degreebeyond the surface of the reflector edges 11 as shown in Figure 2. Thisarrangement not only ensures a compact assembly but also accomplishesthe objects initially set forth.

In the ornament shown the bulb 16 emits light waves that travel in astraight line until they hit the sloping sides of the arms 11 and thendue to the shiny surface of the reflector, are reflected at some angleof incidence. The magnitude of this angle, of course, is dependent uponthe amount of slope the reflector surfaces of the arms 11 have which inturn depends on how much the hub or center is depressed from the planeof the edges 12. With the proper slope most of the light reflected bythe sides of the arms 11 is directed toward the light deflecting guides12 which in turn bounce the light rays back toward the sloping surfaceof the arms 11. This series of reflection and deflection is to someextent endless but it should be understood that the reflection is notentirely complete and light escapes giving the appearance of uniformillumination over the entire area of the reflector.

Since the sloping sides of the arms 11 slope toward the hub and thelight bulb 16 the angles are such that the light rays are deflectedoutwardly toward the tips of the arms 11. The effect is a more pleasingornament since the portion of the arm furthest disposed from the lightbulb receives a greater portion of the reflection and therefore appearsto the casual onlooker to be as bright as the portions of the reflectornearer the hub. In this manner the complete star is fully illuminatedthus overcoming the objection to reflectors proposed heretofore where itis sometimes diflicult to distinguish the outer periphery and shape ofthe element since very little light reaches the portions disposed fromthe light source.

The various creases and seams 13 resulting from the forming of the metalserve a useful and worthwhile purpose. Since all of the sides of thearms 11 slope toward the folds or creases 13 it is inevitable that morelight will be reflected from these portions of the reflector. Anothergood reason for this is that the light deflecting guides 12 are leasteflective to rays deflected from the area near the creases 13.Therefore, to a person looking at the ornament when the light isenergized, the creases 13 have a much deeper hue or color than that ofthe adjacent portions. This serves to further outline the shape of thestar shaped reflector so that it is more easily recognizable.

Because the light rays are bounced from one reflecting surface toanother before being emitted the intensity of the rays are somewhatdiminished but this is very desirable since the glare associated withmost ornamental reflectors is curtailed and practically alleviated. Thisprovides a much better reflector that is not hard to look at forextended periods of time since the harmful glare has been removed.

In the contemplated construction of the assembly, sheet metal is used toform the reflector proper. As is well known, highly polished surfacesare necessary for the complete reflection of light rays and I intend touse the brilliant surface of the sheet metal for this purpose withoutfurther processing. It should of course be apparent that the reflectingsurface may be further worked or painted with lacquer to enhance itsreflecting qualities if desired. It is also contemplated that coloredlights will be used since the hues and colors are very effective inoutlining the star shaped ornament and the light is much softer, stillfurther reducing the glare.

The vacuum cup 20 has been provided for attaching the assembly to theinside of a window glass so that no suspension system need be utilizedby the home decorator. Many of the window ornaments today have no readyattachment means and this necessitates rigging some sort of supportwhich is usually accomplished by a nail being driven in the window frameand wire or cord descending to hold the ornament in place. This mannerof supporting ornaments is completely undesirable because the nail tendsto split the frame and leave undesirable holes. It also istime-consuming and frustrating to rig such a delicate suspension systemand when the ornament is supported at a long distance by string or wireit tends to act as a pendulum and moves in any direction at theslightest provocation. Obviously the arrangement using the vacuum cupwhich supports the ornament directly adjacent to the reflector is mucheasier to attach to the window. All that is necessary is for the cup tobe pressed against the pane causing a vacuum that is sufliciently strongto hold the ornament in place. To remove the ornament from the windowthe vacuum cup is merely pulled away from the pane of glass.

It is also apparent that the construction of the parts is such that caseof manufacture and assembly are afforded resulting in a reflector whosecost is in the price range of the average homeowner wishing to decoratefor the Christmas holidays. It should be understood that forms otherthan stars can be readily manufactured, such as a corona, providing thecomplementary reflecting surfaces are positioned to effect a pleasingdecorative lighting effect.

It should therefore be apparent that I have accomplished the objectsinitially set forth by providing an improved ornamental reflectingassembly wherein the entire reflecting surface is illuminated so thatthe shape of the object may be distinguished and the glare substantiallyeliminated by the use of inturned light guide deflectors.

I have also provided a star shaped reflector where the creases and seamsformed in the reflector are utilized to further distinguish andaccentuate the shape and form of the reflector. For ready attachment tothe inside of a pane of glass a vacuum cup is secured by a resilientmember to the reflector proper which precludes the use of anyundesirable suspension means.

The entire assembly, consisting of the reflector, light bulb and socket,and the vacuum cup, is so constructed to afford easy and cheapmanufacture while yet providing a compact and pleasing finalconfiguration.

While the invention has been described in specific detail with theexample of the star shaped reflector, the example is illustrative onlyand reference should therefore be made to the appended claim indetermining the full and complete scope and intent of the inventiondisclosed herein.

I claim:

An ornamental light reflector comprising a unitary and opaque sheetmetal member having at least one specular surface, said member beingdeeply dished and star-shaped with said specular surface being on thegenerally concave side of said member, a light socket deeply recessedand secured in the center portion of said starshaped member, a lightbulb mounted in said socket and extending axially of said star-shapedmember with the principal light-emitting portions thereof positionedwholly within the concavity of said star-shaped member, each of the armsof said star-shaped member projecting forwardly and outwardly of saidsocket in general conformity to the concavity of said star-shapedmember, each of said arms having a pair of upwardly divergent side wallsand being generally V-shaped in cross section, each of said side wallsof each of said arms having an integral flange inturned toward thecenter of the arm associated therewith, each of said flanges extendinginwardly over a portion of the side wall associated therewith, the innerspecular surface of said flanges being in sight of said light-emittingportion of said bulb, and said bulb emitting light rays which impingedirectly but acutely on the specular surfaces of said arms and saidflanges and are redirected from said flanges onto the radially outwardportions of the specular surfaces of said arms.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,668,661 Snovel May 8, 1928 1,711,705 Stearns May 7, 1929 2,153,395Sadacca Apr. 4, 1939 2,219,203 Townsend et al Oct. 22, 1940 2,535,219Margolis et a1 Dec. 26, 1950 2,773,590 Levinson Dec. 11, 1956

